God Never Blinks: 50 Lessons for Life's Little Detours

Already an internet phenomenon, these wise and insightful lessons by popular newspaper columnist and Pulitzer Prize finalist Regina Brett will make you see the possibilities in your life in a whole new way.

When Regina Brett turned 50, she wrote a column on the 50 lessons life had taught her. She reflected on all she had learned through becoming a single

Overview

Already an internet phenomenon, these wise and insightful lessons by popular newspaper columnist and Pulitzer Prize finalist Regina Brett will make you see the possibilities in your life in a whole new way.

When Regina Brett turned 50, she wrote a column on the 50 lessons life had taught her. She reflected on all she had learned through becoming a single parent, looking for love in all the wrong places, working on her relationship with God, battling cancer and making peace with a difficult childhood. It became one of the most popular columns ever published in the newspaper, and since then the 50 lessons have been emailed to hundreds of thousands of people.Brett now takes the 50 lessons and expounds on them in essays that are deeply personal. From "Don't take yourself too seriously-Nobody else does" to "Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift," these lessons will strike a chord with anyone who has ever gone through tough times--and haven't we all?

Editorial Reviews

Library Journal

In this incredibly moving and inspiring essay collection, Cleveland Plain Dealer columnist Brett recounts 50 hard life lessons. Overcoming a troubled childhood, being a single parent, and surviving cancer lead her to maintain that while "life isn't tied with a bow, it's still a gift." She speaks convincingly of believing in miracles and forgiving everyone everything. While autobiographical inspiration can be self-serving and tedious, this example of the genre is hard to put down. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 12/09.]

Regina Brett is a gifted observer of the experiences that shape who we are, and her lessons unfold with buoyancy, humor and a courageous honesty. She has given us a beautifully written roadmap for life."

 Jeffrey Zaslow, coauthor of The Last Lecture"

I intend to give my 82-year-old dad a copy of God Never Blinks. I will also buy one for a 16-year-old friend. This wise, compassionate and honest book is a blueprint for living a happy, fulfilling life. Its lessons are timelessand timely."

Grand Central Publishing

LESSON 1

Life Isn’t Fair, but It’s Still Good.

I had undergone my first chemotherapy and couldn’t imagine being bald. Then I saw a guy wearing a baseball cap bearing these words: LIFE IS GOOD.

Life didn’t feel good and it was about to feel worse, so I asked the guy where he got the hat. Two days later, Frank drove across town and stopped by my house and gave me one. Frank is a magical kind of guy. A house painter by trade, he lives by two simple words: Get to.

They remind him to be grateful for everything. Instead of saying, “I have to go to work today,” Frank tells himself, “I get to go to work.” Instead of saying, “I have to get groceries,” he gets to. Instead of saying, “I have to take the kids to baseball practice,” he gets to. It works for everything.

The hat on anyone but Frank might not have carried the same power. It was navy blue with an oval patch that announced its message in white letters.

And life was good. Even though my hair fell out, my body grew weak, my eyebrows fell off. Instead of wearing a wig, I wore that hat as my answer to cancer, as my billboard to the world. People love to stare at a bald woman. They got a message back when they gawked.

Gradually, I got well, my hair grew back, and I put the hat away until a friend got cancer and asked about that hat I used to wear. She wanted one. At first I didn’t want to part with mine. It was like my binky, my security blanket. But I had to pass it on. If I didn’t, the luck might run out. She made a promise to get well and pass the hat on to another woman. Instead, she gave it back to me to pass on to another survivor.

We call it the Chemo Hat.

I don’t know how many women have worn it these past 11 years. I’ve lost count. So many friends have been diagnosed with breast cancer. Arlene. Joy. Cheryl. Kaye. Sheila. Joan. Sandy. Woman after woman passed it on.

When the hat came back to me, it always looked more tired and worn, but each woman had a new sparkle in her eyes. Everyone who wore the lucky Chemo Hat is still alive and thriving.

Last year I gave it to my friend and coworker Patrick. He was diagnosed with colon cancer at age 37. Patrick got the hat, even though I wasn’t sure it could tackle any kind of cancer. He told his mom about the hat, how he was now a link in this chain of survival. She found Life is good, Inc., the company that made the hat and makes other products with the motto. She called the company and told them the story of the hat and ordered a whole box of caps.

She sent them to Patrick’s closest friends and relatives. They took pictures of themselves wearing the hats. All over his refrigerator he put up photos of college friends and their kids and dogs and lawn ornaments wearing the LIFE IS GOOD hat.

Meanwhile, the folks at Life is good, Inc., were moved by Patrick’s mom. They held a staff meeting and challenged their employees, “in the spirit of the traveling lucky Chemo Hat,” to pass their hats on to someone needing a lift. They sent Patrick a photo of all 175 of them each wearing a hat.

Patrick finished chemo and is fine. He was so lucky; he never lost his hair, it just thinned out. He never wore the hat, but it touched him. He kept it on a table at the bottom of the stairs where he could see that message every day.

It got him through the really bad days when he wanted to quit chemo and give up. Anyone with cancer has known those days. Even folks who have never had cancer have known them.

Turns out it wasn’t the hat but the message on it that kept us all going, that keeps us all going.

Meet the Author

Regina Brett has been a newspaper columnist for fourteen years, eight of them for Cleveland's Plain Dealer, where she was a finalist in 2008 and 2009 for the Pulitzer Prize in Commentary. She also hosts a call-in talk show once a week on WCPN, the Cleveland NPR affiliate, and speaks regularly to companies and not-for-profit organizations.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

If you have ever seen the incredibly popular e-mail that has circulated over the years, claiming that Regina Brett was a 90-something woman who wrote in to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, you will get the same lovely surprise that I did. The short, sweet and smart advice that was on that list is here in the book...written by the 50-something Regina Brett.
I have to admit that I was a bit shocked that a woman in her fifties could have come up with what sounds like the wisdom of a person who has lived a much longer life. It's no wonder that people attributed the clever statements to an elderly woman. Instead, the author has lived a very full life and has decided to pass on some bits of:
Common sense (Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does),
Faith (God never gives us more than we are designed to carry),
Relationship advice (You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree),
Healing (The passage of time heals almost everything. Give time time),
Worry (If we all threw our problems in a pile and got a look at everyone else's, we'd fight to get our own back)
and so much more...
I enjoyed the list of thought provoking statements completely on their own, but with Regina's quick accompanying stories there is even a greater impact.
This is an easy read, great to break into a chapter or two per day or to reflect on certain ones at appropriate times. It certainly is going to go to my daughter and her to friends as they face graduation and can use these lovely tidbits to get them started on the right path. It's much like having Mom or Grandmother to chat with at any time and give a reliable piece of well-earned advice. Excellent.

Anonymous

More than 1 year ago

Everything I learned I learned in my childhood. The problem is most of it was a troubled one that I carried into my adulthood. This book is a good start to help you recognize your problems, especially when you are somebody like me that needs to make peace with the pass. I am glad that I read it.

Shaps

More than 1 year ago

Regina Brett is an amazing writer. Each of her "Life Lessons" is written as if she is sitting at the breakfast table talking one on one with you about your particular issues over a cup of coffee. It is as if your best friend dropped by for a quick chat and instead helped you get your life in order. Her message is always thought provoking, sprinkled with humour, tears and the kind of clarity that renews your spirit in friends, family and life.

mrsmamamac

More than 1 year ago

I read this book when I was 38 and LOVED it! I passed it on to friends and decided I wanted to read it again so I bought a new copy! Then at 39 I was diagnoised with breast cancer and I've read it a dozen times. No matter where you are in your life you should read this book!

Anonymous

More than 1 year ago

I started reading God Never Blinks and I couldn't put it down. It seems to me that almost each chapter fits my shoe. We all know what Ms. Brett tells us, but I needed to be rimindered. Excellent book.
Armonia Eddy

Anonymous

More than 1 year ago

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More than 1 year ago

God would be pretty well off with a weeping angel

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More than 1 year ago

Anonymous

More than 1 year ago

It is an accessible book for readers of different ages and stages in their lives. I bought this on my Nook but will buy
a paperback as well because the chapters are full of wisdom that you need to read time and time again. I will
keep it by my bedside for those nights when I need to be reminded of what's really important in life and to
remember how far I've traveled.

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More than 1 year ago

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grandmaauntsue

More than 1 year ago

One of my New Favorite Books..!
am going to use it as our book selection for our book club

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More than 1 year ago

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More than 1 year ago

I've incorporated this into my daily Bibly study. Funny, insightful, with life applications for everyone. I've recommended it to all my friends.

pindian

More than 1 year ago

Heard about book from a tv show.unbelievable read..its a feel good read because it makes you not feel bad about life experiences.you can learn something from everyday life..can pick up at a drs apt waiting for children and read a chapter...i bought 3 copies for friends

lamamaDC

More than 1 year ago

The book consists of short stories (or lessons) that a woman has learned throughout her life. I love reading about God and how He always comes through in every circumstance in our lives good or bad. I enjoyed the book, reading each chapter as sort of a devotional every day. Even though I didn't "learn" anything new about God and how He subtly works in our lives to woo us closer to Him, it was a refreshing read for me as I recalled past circumstances in my own life where He was there all along.

Anonymous

More than 1 year ago

Anonymous

More than 1 year ago

I could not put this book down! The author writes with such raw
courage, honesty, humor, and simplicity. It is timeless, a treasure.